Kent veteran Ben Ford beats Scotland’s Kevin Moran to make main draw at The Mote
By ALAN THATCHER at The Mote
Ben Ford, one of the country’s finest coaches, is still capable of playing outstanding squash. At the age of 39, he outmanoeuvred Scotland’s Kevin Moran to win a dramatic qualifying final in the Select Gaming Kent Open at The Mote Squash Club in Maidstone.
Ford, who coaches 25 miles up the road at Bexley, strikes a squash ball with superb quality. His coaching skills have helped Peter Barker improve his front-court game and he is also assisting Kent Open No.4 seed Richie Fallows.
Fortunately, the two avoided each other in the draw for the first round. While Ford goes through to play Yorkshire left-hander James Earles, Fallows was drawn against another emerging England professional, the left-hander Ashley Davies, who powered past Portugal’s Rui Soares in four games.
George Parker overcame Finland’s Jaakko Vahamaa in straight games and meets Pakistan’s Dubai-based Adil Maqbool.
Qualifying top seed Mike Harris will arrive in the main draw against Charles Sharpes feeling fresh after his opponent, Eain Yow, withdrew suffering from shin splints with Harris leading by two games and 7-3 in the third.
Select Gaming Kent Open, The Mote Squash Club, Maidstone, Kent, England.
PSA Challenger 10 Tournament. Qualifying Finals:
(1) Michael Harris (England) beat (8) Eain Yow Ng (Malaysia) 11-5, 11-7, 7-3 retired (23 mins)
(3) Ashley Davies (England) beat (5) Rui Soares (Portugal) 11-3, 7-11, 11-3, 11-7 (37 mins)
Ben Ford (England) beat (4) Kevin Moran (Scotland) 10-12, 11-5, 11-7, 7-11, 11-6 (64 mins)
(2) George Parker (England) beat (7) Yaakko Vahamaa (Finland) 11-5, 11-8, 13-11 (37 mins)
Updated First Round Draw :
(1) Jens Schoor (Ger) v (WC) Josh Masters (Eng)
(6) Joel Hinds (Eng) v Chris Fuller (Eng)
(8) Adil Maqbool (Pak) v (Q) George Parker (Eng)
(3) Jaymie Haycocks (Eng) v Nathan Lake (Eng)
(4) Richie Fallows (Eng) v (Q) Ashley Davies (Eng)
James Earles (Eng) v (Q) Ben Ford (Eng)
(5) Kristian Frost (Eng) v Reuben Phillips (Eng)
(2) Charles Sharpes (Eng) v (Q) Mike Harris (Eng)
Pictures by BRYAN LINTOTT and SIMON SCOTT